Nipponica

“In classical music, you play what’s written on the music sheet. Onigiri is the same,” he says. “You don’t try to do something new.”

A delightful read on one of Japan's core food staples.

For generations, “nommunication” – or drinking with colleagues after work – has been credited with fostering corporate spirit in Japanese firms, releasing office tensions and building close professional relationships.

Now, a new study suggests that despite the well-documented risks to health, smoking performs a similar function in the Japanese workplace.

Having lived in Japan before and after the 2020 indoor smoking ban, izakayas are much much MUCH more tolerable to be in for long periods of time. Smoking will go out of style as the older generations leave the workplace. So, let's say, by the year 2100?

Set in pandemic-era Tokyo, the film focuses on a young woman (Yukino Takahashi) whose boyfriend has absconded, leaving her broke and feeling broken. She drifts into sex work, taking the professional name Kotone.

She quickly transforms from a lost-looking waif wandering down Kabukicho streets to a wised-up sex worker who takes nothing and no one at face value. She works at a “cafe” where masked women sit staring at their smartphones while men on the other side of a large window make their selection, which a male employer conveys to the chosen woman. The newly formed couple then retires to a private room.

It might have felt counterintuitive to shun the bright lights of the capital in favor of a quiet, provincial city better known for its love of gyōza potsticker dumplings. But four decades down the line, Otowa is now the founder-patriarch of one of the best-regarded French restaurants in the country.

Housed in a striking modern, free-standing property a short drive from the city center, Restaurant Otowa is sophisticated and elegant, yet calm and relaxed. Its light-filled dining room is large enough to hold 80 people for special functions, though it usually seats about 50.

Time for a field trip up north.

“Japanese users have long preferred platforms like Twitter that allow you to be anonymous over something like Facebook that makes it mandatory to use your real name,” Moreno says. “Virtual reality experiences like VRChat are an extension of anonymity. Some users even use voice changers. They are able to create a representation of themselves that they want to show to the world.”

Argentina has decided to withdraw its participation in the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, the third country to do so among those who were set to build their own pavilions, Japan's minister in charge of the global event said Friday.

This is following Estonia and Mexico’s withdrawal to build pavilions previously. As a fan of World Expos, it is disappointing to see countries pull out, but things like this are huge investments with no guarantee of return. Still though, the soft power gains could have been worth it. Osaka EPCOT will still live on.

In simplest terms, Japan’s problem is sclerosis. The country’s economic policymakers have opted for stability, halting the “creative destruction” that promotes innovation and delivers prosperity. “Among all rich countries, it is Japan where new companies find it hardest to get the external funding that is needed for growth. Consequently, the birth and death rate of companies has plunged and is now one of the lowest among 27 rich countries.”

A book review of The Contest for Japan’s Economic Future by Richard Katz. In my own personal experience in the country, this tendency towards risk-aversion and stability is very real.

The story of a group of young women who were drafted from high school to the front lines of the Battle of Okinawa as Imperial Japanese Army nurses is being told through a traveling exhibition, with the many who tragically died serving as a lesson on the horrors suffered by Japanese civilians in the conflict.

Personal stories about civilians in a horrendous battle overshadowed by the atomic bombings just a few months later.

People living in Japan will likely recognize "Hotaru no Hikari," a song based on the Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne" which has become the standard tune played at shops in the country just before closing. Outside Japan, the folk song is often sung by crowds who gather on New Year's Eve to mark the turn of the year.

"When 'Hotaru no hikari' plays, Japanese people understand that it is time to close the store. However, in recent years, the number of foreigners has increased, and more people are present who do not understand its meaning. It's difficult to announce that the store is closing without spoiling the enjoyment of shopping. Therefore, we have come up with new closing music that casually announces the closing, but still allows shoppers to leave comfortably."

This is classico Japan taking an element from overseas and transforming it into something befitting local culture.

"We would like to charge around $30 for foreigners and around $5 for residents," Kiyomoto said at the symposium on cultural heritage and natural disasters.

When asked about his reason for the $5 fee, Kiyomoto told reporters Monday that he wants "to avoid raising the admission fee for local residents."

For cultural sites like castles, I think a higher admission fee could be appropriate for certain tourists from higher wealth countries. But grouping all tourists in a single high-cost bucket is unfair for people from less developed nations. But the challenge is obvious in devising a pricing strategy like this. You can't expect a passport check at a ticket window.